mural

ZIO ZIEGLER

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(1987)

Zio has both a studio and street practice where he creates bold paintings and murals with a distinct tribal-like aesthetic. His paintings are often more colorful than his monochromatic murals but in all his work there are the repeated motifs of primitive patterns, gigantism, and distortion. 

His Mill Valley studio is not just a room, but an entire house filled with finished and unfinished paintings. Walking in for the first time is quite the experience; there is so much to look at, and everything is bright and big and, again, demands your attention. 

Graffiti has greatly influenced Zio’s mural work as well as his studio practice, he says he likes the idea of “having the boldest spot, an interesting and provocative surface, the most visual traffic, and the fastest read for a piece while still maintaining complexity…”. Zio’s approach is raw and brazen, intuitive and gestural. But he acknowledges that this approach has its glitches too, one of them being that he finds it difficult to examine and articulate what his work is about, saying, “It often takes me a while to understand why I’ve painted what I painted… To understand their meaning I have to understand the context in which they were created, which often proves hard because it means understanding myself.”

Watch this video of Zio:


SMITHE

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(Mexico City)

Smithe has been making art since he was 12 years old. Born and raised in the streets of Mexico City, he got an appreciation for the street art around his neighborhood and it developed into a full time lifestyle / career. 

Art has opened doors for him and allowed him to travel to different countries and practice his passion. With art shows in England, Belgium and Germany, Smithe has already made quite a name for himself in the international street art and graffiti scene. His talents don’t stop with a spray can either, Smithe is a fantastic illustrator and sculptor and he plays in a band in D.F., “Punto Stendal”.

Watch this video of Smithe's battle for the big apple by All City Cavnvas:

SASU

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(Tokyo)

Sasu's work fuses natural and urban elements with her graphic yet balanced style. Her sensibilities, rich colors and feminine lines create a unique world never seen before.

Sasu believes that her instinctual sense of balance, as seen in her more characteristic paintings symmetrical, mandara-like shapes and figures truly reflect her personality. Mural being the center of the scene, she pursues new areas of artwork. 

The wishes for the endless glow is created into shapes, and the process is crystalized into fine artwork.

Watch this video:

 

SANER

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(Mexico City)

Edgar “Saner” Flores is an urban artist, illustrator and graphic designer. Raised by his parents in Mexico City and surrounded by rich color and tradition, Saner developed an interest in drawing and Mexican muralism early on. He began expressing himself on paper and through graffiti art, later going on to earn a degree in graphic design from the Universidad Autónoma de México. His creations are influenced by Mexican custom and folklore, color, mysticism, masks and skulls. A mix of these lifelong interests and passions has led him to become the artist he is today.

Saner’s work has been featured in galleries in Mexico, the United States, London, Berlin and Barcelona. He has collaborated with Kidrobot, Vans, G-Shock, HQTR Canada, Pineda Covalin, Persigna Store, Bacardi, Adidas México, Televisa, and many others.

Watch Saner give a tour of Mexico City and talk about other muralists by MOCA:


SAM FLORES

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(1975, New Mexico, US)

Flores grew up immersed in the vastness of the Southwestern desert, spending his time as a youth skating, drawing and honing his graffiti skills (his moniker being Tiger).

He is uniquely noted for being an autodidact, or self taught artist, having no formal institutional training. Sam eventually landed in the Bay Area in the late 90's drawn to it's Bohemian lifestyle and also the promise it held for him to develop his career as a commercial artist. Ever since, Flores has enjoyed an incredible career, developing a passionate fan base while advancing his talent through an ever changing subject matter, often juxtaposed with that of his peer urban contemporary artists, namely because of the presence of themes rarely seen in such genres such as innocence, feminine, natural beauty and melancholy sentiments.

Flores' subject matter includes a myriad of anthropomorphic characters and beautiful goddesses with styles being inspired by Japanese Edo period influenced landscapes, urban contemporary/ graf inspired montages, pop-surrealist environments and his most recent works which are inspired by Mexican pulp comic art and classical portraiture.

Sam currently creative directs his brand Twelve Grain for Upper Playground, the "12" representing his original crew in Albuquerque and the "Grain" representing the role that nature has played in work and life.

Watch this video by VIMBY TV:


PAUL INSECT

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(UK)

Paul Insect is a street artist, who is most famous for his 2007 solo show Bullion exhibition at London's Art gallery, Lazarides Gallery. Damien Hirst is reported to be a fan of Insect, having purchased the show days before it opened. Insect, who also goes by the name of PINS, worked alongside well-known artist Banksy at the Cans Festival, Santas Ghetto, and on the separation wall in Palestine.

Insect is well known for his collective named 'insect' which started in 1996, and disbanded in 2005. Insect held an exhibition at a disused Sex shop in London's Kings Cross area in 2008 in partnership with Lazarides Gallery. This contained 12 bronze skulls with colour enameled bunny ears.

Watch this video of Paul Insect with BAST:


LUCY MCLAUCHLAN

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(1978, Birmingham, England)

Lucy Mclauchlan is a contemporary artist from Birmingham, England. She is part of the "Beat 13!" collective.

In the era of extensive preparation using digital tools, Lucy is noted for her use of permanent materials and a one-take philosophy. In her deft hands this unedited process still results in considered and surprisingly slick executions. While working mainly in black and white she creatures a world rich in experience, and ruled by a passionate instinct.

Lucy's art combines ancient, almost prehistorical influences with a graphic modernist sensibility. The creative epoxy that binds these two disparate references together is Lucy's clear personal vision, resulting in the immediately recognizable style that is a hallmark of many memorable artists. A diaspora of other influences including art deco, psychedelia, naturalism and contemporary female figurative work consolidate its spellbinding charm. Four artworks from Lucy are featured in the permanent collection of the Victoria and Albert museum.

Watch this video by Walrus TV:


LONDON POLICE

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(1998)

The London Police started in 1998 when big English geezers headed to Amsterdam to rejuvenate the visually disappointing streets of the drug capital of the world.

The motive was to combine travelling and making art to create an amazing way of life not seen since the days of King Solomon. From 2002 onward TLP started sending missionaries into all corners of the globe. Known for their iconic LADS characters and precision marking TLP have recently celebrated 10 strong years in the art world and their work has graced streets and galleries in 35 countries during this time.

London policemen have come and gone but founding members are still known to walk the streets of every city in the world spreading love with pens and stickers.

Watch this video of The London Police painting a mural at Art Basel 2007:

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LOGAN HICKS

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Logan Hicks is a New York-based stencil artist whose work explores the dynamics of the urban environment. Originally a screenprinter, Logan's work has gained notoriety due to his ability to capture the sometimes mundane cycle of city life in a haunting, yet refined way with his hand-sprayed stencils.

Stenciling started as a substitution for screenprinting, but quickly morphed into Logan's medium of choice. A perfect union was conceived by spraypaintingstencils his subjects: the dirty and gritty nature of the spraypaint thoroughly depicted the decay of the city while the muted shine of metallic paint mirrored the faint glimmer of hope and life within it. It is this symbiotic relationship with the city that fuels his work.

With his photorealistic style, Logan draws a parallel between the cold, harsh city and a warm, vibrant organism. It is alive; a breathing creature where the ebb and flow of people washing over its sidewalks act as cells circulating through its veins. Buildings block passageways, walls block views, doors hide openings. The outside world is effectively shut out while the city creates its own reality. Confined spaces on subways, honeycomb living structures; it is a labyrinth of working systems limited only by its border, its 'skin'.

Logan uses his art to explore the microcosm in which he is a cell, just part of a whole. The nuances of city life that epitomize the urban existence are what he dwells upon.

Watch this video of Logan Hicks exploring the nautical in his latest stencil paintings:


LAUREN YS

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(Colorado, US)

Lauren YS' work seeks to translate chaos into visual terms, combining graphic and painterly styles to populate various dream-worlds of her making. After receiving her BA from Stanford in English and Art Practice, Lauren moved to San Francisco to become a freelance illustrator, muralist and artist. Her work has been exhibited throughout the Bay Area and in Europe, including a solo show and artist residency in Vienna, Austria.

Watch her paint a mural in this video by Street Candy:

KRUSCH RHOADES

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(1982, US)

Krusch Rhoades spent the formative years of his youth in the “armpit of New York, the shoulders of New England and on the polluted teat of New Jersey.” Since then, Rhoades has travelled all over the country, and currently calls Santa Cruz his home. He has painted, drawn, molded, and scrawled for as long as he can remember.

Rhoades enjoys large scale work, especially when working with spray paint, which he calls the “closest synthesis of dance and paint.” That being said, the artist produces work of all scales regularly, and even paints bicycle frames.

“Paint and bicycles have been the most consistent relationships in my life and have therefore becomes the pillars of my existence,” said Rhoades.

KOFIE ONE

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(1973, Los Angeles, US)

Augustin Kofie, or KofieOne, grew up in and has made Los Angeles his lifetime home. He has been active in the LA Graffiti community since the mid-nineties. Many of his murals and productions are still on view. As he has developed over the year, his work reflects his wide range of interests: architectural templates, deconstructed lettering, vintage collage paper, contemporary music, and 1960's-70's iconography. 

Recently he became a member of the Agents of Change, a tight crew of progressive graffiti artists, which also includes Jaybo Monk and Derm from this exhibition as well. He also is a member of the Transcend Collective with Joker, Poesia and more.

With a deep interest in process and structure, Kofie creates works of intense detail centered on the order of balance. The precision of Kofie’s “drafted” art is strongly inspired by modern architecture as well as the form and shape of deconstructed typography.  In his quest for balance, Kofie harmonizes opposing and contradictory dynamics in his work by setting futuristic compositions against vintage earth-toned palettes and collaged graphics, creating organically complex formations through meticulously structured line-work and layering. His style has been dubbed Vintage Futurism.

Watch this video about Kofie One by All City Canvas:


KAMI

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(1999)

Known for their large murals and installations that draw upon their personal inspirations, Kami and Sasu collaborate to build stunning iconographies. Drawing from traditional Japanese Calligraphy and sprawling patterns, they create new sensual forms in bold colors that represent their signature style. As a duo, their work is recognized by Kami’s strong line work and Sasu’s distinctive patterns.

Watch this video of Hitotzuki by Giant Robot:


JESÚS BENÍTEZ

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(1985, Mexico City)

Jesús "Dhear" Benítez's style is a mixture of illustration, painting and graffiti, which dominates all disciplines, practices and mergers. His works often represent animal and plant organisms that curious abstraction, without losing its essence of fantasy.

Watch this video by adidasoriginalsmx:


JEREMY FISH

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(1974, New York, US)

With a degree in painting and a focus in screenprinting Jeremy Fish's education and work experience has lead to a career as a fine artist, and a commercial illustrator. Finding a balance between exhibiting his work both across the US, and internationally in galleries and museums. while maintaining a presence designing skateboards, t-shirts, vinyl toys, album covers, periodical illustrations, murals, and sneakers. The artwork is mainly about storytelling and communication, told through a library of characters and symbols. With an emphasis on finding a balance with the imagery somewhere between all things cute and creepy. Jeremy is based in North Beach aka little italy, and has lived in San Francisco for the last 20 years.


INSA

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(United Kingdom)

INSA was born in the United Kingdom and began painting at the age of 12. Prior to this age, he made low, low budget horror films with his friends, and even counts Nightmare on Elm Street’s monstrous Freddie Krueger among his creative influences. The artist is distinguished by the seamless mix of reality and fantasy apparent in all his work. His art is always changing, to the surprise and excitement of his viewers.

His strong opinions regarding popular culture and consumerism are what his art is all about. INSA wants to be known through his art, not by any personal characteristics. He keeps his private life very private, but is most willing to talk about his life and thoughts as an artist. This shrouded identity keeps others from pretending to be like him and allows his viewers to conjure up their own image of who INSA is and what he looks like. He may be of any race, age or physiognomy. In INSA’s view, whatever the viewer imagines, that is what the artist looks like. The one thing he does want his audience to understand about him is his belief that fantasy is always better than reality.

Watch this White Walls project video by Unit44:


HERBERT BAGLIONE

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(1977, São Paulo, Brazil)

Internationally known graffiti artist, Herbert Baglione, has been making compelling and narrative works on both the streets and in galleries for years. Baglione is renowned for his strong, simplistic street murals that are reminiscent of cave drawings, morphed with extraterrestrial images, brilliantly placed on rooftops and street surfaces, which are only visible in their entirety from an aerial view. His images are of the obese and the painfully anorexic - extremes of human shapes, elongated and rounded for the ultimate in simplistic, dramatic and iconic human symbols; thus illustrating his interest in human imperfection and extremes.

Baglione's art is constantly evolving and changing via strong aesthetics and visual language, though his figurative subjects remain constant. He relies heavily on a monotone palette of black, white and golden hues. At times, Baglione's work has had a strong minimalist and simplistic bent whilst still utilizing his elaborate calligraphic language. 

Regarding his installations, he has expressed to have a particular interest in finding places he has never worked before, such as a garden from the seventeenth century, in the city of La Rochelle, ruins, a Church from the sixteenth century in the town of Celles Sur Belle and an underground hospital complex in Niort. Baglione, who uses a deep narrative as the basis of each painting, believes that: "An artist who stimulates the spectator's pleasure and desire to research his production is most important. Being just aesthetically beautiful is not enough."

Watch this video of the work and technique of Herbert Baglione by Walrus TV:

FAILE

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(1999)

FAILE is the Brooklyn-based artistic collaboration between Patrick McNeil and Patrick Miller. Their name is an anagram of their first project, “A life.” Since its inception in 1999, FAILE has been known for a wide ranging multimedia practice recognizable for its explorations of duality through a fragmented style of appropriation and collage. While painting and printmaking remain central to their approach, over the past decade FAILE has adapted its signature mass culture-driven iconography to vast array of materials and techniques, from wooden boxes and window pallets to more traditional canvas, prints, sculptures, stencils, installation, and prayer wheels.

FAILE’s work is constructed from found visual imagery, and blurs the line between “high” and “low” culture, but recent exhibitions demonstrate an emphasis on audience participation, a critique of consumerism, and the incorporation of religious media, architecture, and site-specific/archival research into their work.

Watch this video on their permanent installation by Vice:

ESCIF

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(Valencia, Spain)

Escif is a graffiti artist. He works upon the walls of his home city of Valencia, Spain (and beyond), his arresting black-and-white-and-minimal vignettes depicting strange and thoughtful scenes. The paintings are deceptively simple yet inspired and often incorporate repetitive elements drawn from his personal symbology, which oddly enough may elicit an equally strong response from the viewer.

Black holes; walking walls; tumbling, floating, or falling common objects… there is a mysterious commentary spread over the urban surface that can puzzle and intrigue while somehow making perfect sense. Escif intentions ambiguity in his vertical masonry canvases. When he feels he’s getting tired and predictable, he moves on, looking for new languages that put the past in doubt and reinforce the process of eternal learning.

Escif feels strongly that graffiti removed from the street loses its validity and purpose. The attempts of the established art world to embrace, incorporate, and curate the interventions that a street artist deploys on the walls of the city completely miss—no, lose—the point. He says, “Graffiti as a concept implies transgression of “public” space, and because of this its institutional adaptation ceases to have value.”

Watch this video:


ERICAILCANE

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(Bologna, Italy)

Ericailcane is an Italian artist, street artist, illustrator, draftsman and sculptor. He makes graffiti worldwide. According to the Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago, Ericailcane "belongs to the new generation of European street artists that have revolutionized how to design public space".

The works of Ericailcane are characterized by scientific precision. The artist presents different variations of disturbing animals human-like, in strange contexts, sometimes charged with a social or ecological significance. He often depicts majestic, unpleasant or monstrous figures resembling the Middle Ages. These aquatic or terrestrial animals are often drawn fighting in more or less hostile or adverse environments. The same iconography is used in its refined drawings in his books, in his collages, in her videos and installations, such as the huge puppet presented in 2009 in Bologna for traditional Vecchione, traditionally burned at midnight December 31 in the Maggiore plaza.

Watch this video of the making of a mural in Bastardilla: